Apricot Crostata

I know I am posting crostata recipes left and right, but really they are perfect for summer when the market stands are overflowing with fresh fruit. Stone fruit is in season right now and having discovered a new appreciation for apricots, I am buying them at least a couple of times a week. I have made a berry crostata, plum crostata, an apple crostata, sour cherry crostata, and even a Nutella crostata, but have yet to make one with fresh apricots until now. I made some delicious Apricot Amaretto jam earlier this summer and really liked that flavor combination so planned to use it once more in this crostata. Because this particular recipe does not take long to bake, I find it best to cook up fresh fruit first before baking. I mix in 1 cup of jam into my cooked fruit to create a thicker filling. Once again, this crust is my new favorite recipe that has been adapted from a recipe David Lebovitz posted on his blog. It is so quick and simple to mix and is a press in the pan crust which makes everything easier.

The crust has a little cornmeal in it which really adds a nice crunchy texture. To compliment the apricot Amaretto flavor, I also added some chopped toasted almonds to the topping which worked out really well. My apricots were about medium sized, so I used 8 of them. Depending on the size of your apricots you may need more or less than is listed in the recipe. My apricots were also exceptionally tart, so I added a little extra sugar to create additional sweetness.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until the dough comes together.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Take about 3/4 of a cup of the dough mixture and set it aside.

Press the remaining dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

Spoon the apricot mixture into the crust and use a spoon to smooth across the bottom crust.

Mix the almonds into the remaining dough, and using your fingers, break up the remaining crust mixture into small pea sized pieces and drop it across the top of the tart. ( Do not worry that it doesn’t cover completely as it looks more rustic this way!)

Bake the tart in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until it is lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and allow to come to room temperature before serving.